Dr. Supin Wongbusarakum

Managing Director

Supin’s commitment to working with Indigenous Peoples began in 1998 during her doctoral research with the Urak Lawoi in the Andaman Sea, Thailand. What began as a study of resource use, culture, and change evolved into a lifelong partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities across Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas. As a conservation social scientist and program leader, she is committed to advancing approaches that recognize the interdependence of healthy ecosystems, cultural vitality, sustainable livelihoods, and community well-being.

Over the past two decades, Supin has worked across fisheries, coastal and marine resource management, forest and landscape conservation, climate adaptation, and community resilience. She has led multidisciplinary and multicultural teams and managed complex regional and international programs that integrate social, economic, cultural, and ecological perspectives into applied research, policy development, governance strengthening, and capacity building. Her work is rooted in meaningful engagement with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, resource users, and government institutions to co-create solutions that are locally grounded, socially equitable, and responsive to environmental and societal change, while strengthening the capacity of communities and institutions to navigate change and sustain both ecological integrity and human well-being.

Supin has held leadership and technical roles with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The Nature Conservancy, the East-West Center, and the Pacific Community (SPC). She currently serves as Affiliate Faculty with the Natural Resources and Environmental Management Program and as a Research Affiliate with Hawai‘i Sea Grant at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.